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Friday, June 29, 2012

One of my good music blogging friends Chaotisch und Charmant has been on the Two Wounded Birds bandwagon for sometime now and has been telling me I should join as well. Well I spent some time listening to some of their songs, and had to go out of my way to find an import copy of their self-titled debut and have to say I was well pleased with what I heard from the band. They have a fun retro feel to their music and after listening you may often find yourself just smiling and being happy on life. You get a taste of what life would have been like for your parents growing up, if that makes any sense.

Lykke Li is back and contributing to Fleetwood Mac's tribute album 'Just Tell Me That You Want Me' with a cover of 'Silver Springs'. You can head over to RTL2 website and see the live performance or take a listen below.
Pretty powerful acoustic version of Silver Springs and is well worth your time.

The Raveonettes are back with their first single 'Observations' which is taken from their upcoming album Observator. Observator will be the Danish duos sixth studio album. On the first listen on 'Observations' you hear a track that sounds much more serious and intense. The piano laden entrance on the song only adds to its mystic and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the September 11th release date.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Dog Is Dead just finished up their brand new video for 'Glockenspiel Song' that you can check out below. The band will release the single July 22nd via iTunes.

Dog Is Dead are a band that I personally can't seem to disregard. I continue to come back to their upbeat sounds and enjoy everything they put out. 'Glockenspiel Song' is a nice jingle that offers some flowing harmonies as an indie pop - jazzed out folk song.

Glockenspiel Song Tracklisting:1. Glockenspiel Song2. Head In Your Hands3. Glockenspiel Song (Etude-tableaux for Piano Major in E Major By Franciszek Araszkiewicz)

So I literally stumbled upon 'Big Dreams' from Likely Lads and haven't been able to stop listening. The band are a 4-piece from York, UK and you can actually head over to their Bandcamp page and pick up their Melrose Yard Demos for free. The band also caught my attention with their Twitter message..."So many good new bands in the UK. Proper music is not dead, it's just hiding in the background and soon it's going to make a massive return."

They are a young band and for the most part are just normal kids playing some awesome music and doing what they love. It is nice to see some normal people, just being themselves and making some killer tunes. I wonder if their band name stems from The Libertines 'What Became of the Likely Lads EP'?

Theme Park are one of the fresh up and coming acts to keep an eye on as their debut album is on the horizon this October. 'Jamaica' is the second single off their debut album and has a shiny new video to check out below.
Also Theme Park are supporting Bloc Party later this year on a number of dates.

Look for the 'Jamaica' single to be released on August 13th on ltd 7" and digitally.

Bowerbirds are an American folk band that formed in 2006 and hail from Raleigh, North Carolina. They recently put out their third album The Clearing on the Dead Oceans label and have been getting praise up and down. I have been trying to compile my list of best albums of 2012 so far, and this album is right near the top, as it it hit a nerve with me and left me in awe. Check out the bands newest single/video 'Overcome With Light' below.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Milk Music are a fuzzed out rock band that hail from Olympia, WA and they have been getting some exceptional buzz from their 6-song, Beyond Living EP which you can pick up digitally over at iTunes. You can pick up a new song from the band titled 'Violence Now' which is not on the EP and has only since been released on a small run of flexi discs.

Take a listen to the track below and get a sense of the buzz that this high energy band have been recieving throughout the music circles. They band were kind enough to allow a free download as well.

Muse are set to debut their brand new song 'Survival' tonight, which will be the official song of the 2012 London Olympic Games. 'Survival' will make its radio premiere tonight and will be available shortly after via iTunes. The song will be featured throughout the sporting events in all of London's 2012 venues, during the duration of the Games.

Frontman Matt Bellamy has this to say on the track...
"It's a huge honor to have the track chosen as such a major part of the London 2012 Olympic Games. I wrote it with the Games in mind as it expresses a sense of conviction and determination to win."

The band have already announced that their sixth studio album, titled "The 2nd Law" will be out later this fall, as a count down to September 17th has been set. Look for 'Survival to make the cut on the new album and preview the track below as you anticipate its arrival later on this evening.

I have recently been taken back by DIIV's debut album Oshin, after taking my first listen to the album I was enticed to come back to it over and over again. Here is a cut from the album "How Long Have You Known?" which you can check out the official video below. This album is sure to find some love from me in 2012, love the dream pop, melt in your ears type of sound. Has the same kind of fresh, clean sound that Youth Lagoon brought to us in 2011.

Well yesterday Lana Del Rey put out a 4-minute trailer for her 'National Anthem' video and now today she has the full length 7:39 minute version up and running. The video was directed by Anthony Mandler and shows LDR doing her best Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O impressions, and features A$AP Rocky doing his best JFK impersonation. The video is somewhat of a short film which tries to make this 2012 song a vintage version of Lana Del Rey. Love her or hate her you be the judge for yourself.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Avett Brothers are set to release their sixth album this year, titled The Carpenter. New single 'Live and Die' is the first taste of what to expect from the album, take a nice long listen below. Also they are stopping by Salt Lake City at Gallivan Center this Thursday, June 28th and you can pick up tickets at Smithstix. Here is the list of the remaining tour.

Check out the new song from The Antlers, titled 'Drift Dive' which will be a part of their new EP Undersea. Such fantastic vocals on this track that it makes you want to speed up the July 24th release date.

In the meantime you can check out the track over on Soundcloud or stay here and take a listen through the YouTube link below.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Matt & Kim are back with a new single 'Let's Go' which will be included on the duo's fourth full-length album Lightning which is set to be released in the fall. The video shows off Pat The Roc (World's Greatest Ballhandler) skills while Matt & Kim both look on in the background.

FR: Can you tell me a little about the story behind the album title, WIXIW - it's so difficult and symmetrical. I love it.

AH: There are so many meanings and qualities that led us to choose WIXIW as the album title. Not only did we find that quite simply, WIXIW is such a beautiful looking word to us, but it is also a palindrome. Palindromes derive their power from ending in the same way as which they begin. Often times during the writing of WIXIW, Angus and I would be overwhelmed with doubt and anxiety. It offered some comfort to us in accepting that to move forward, evolve, or finish a song- early techniques of ours could be applied without producing a song that felt like a regression. Much like reading a palindrome, your eye movement is forward and you find yourself further along than you were before you began- all the while potentially reading the same letters the word began with.

FR: As for the WIXIX itself, the album is obviously a more heavily electronic-based album. What inspired you to take this new route for the new record?

AH: Sisterworld was recorded in a traditional way, where we had an engineer that knew how to place microphones or what compression to use, et cetera. We wanted to circumvent this process and record the album ourselves, lessening the distance between us and the finished song or album- and quite literally, the mics from the sounds we are trying to capture.

FR: How did the recording process compare to your previous albums?

AH: We decided to open up our material earlier on to each other with earlier collaboration. Normally, Angus and I would wait until songs we were working on were almost finished before inviting the other to add or subtract to the song. It was much more difficult this way, but much more rewarding.

FR: At first, the new album can feel a little disorienting and alienating to the listener. WIXIW is a really committed work and you guys really drop us in the deep end right off the bat. Do you guys ever feel that your music forces the listener to earn its eventual rewards- because after 5+ spins, what was once disorienting now feels downright warm and comforting.

AH: I think we often feel that the music we are making is pretty straight forward. I think this recalls the answer to question one. Our music reads "wish you" to us, and for some listeners, it reads: "WIXIW". Regardless, I think it means a lot to us if listeners find or reveal new sounds and take their time with the music. We feel fortunate that anybody would take their time with us.

FR: How important to the band is it to continue to musically grow with each album? And how often does "musically grow" involve experimenting?

AH: I think it has more to do with following our guts with our hearts. The difference being that the goal isn't always to make something different than the last album for the sake of it. It's more natural. And I don't think we would mind if we made, say, another electronic album after WIXIW so long as that's what we are genuinely interested in, and that we feel positive about the possibilities of making new discoveries within the approach. So long as we don't feel we've exhausted the idea.

FR: How do you think the WIXIW experience translates to the live circuit?

AH: It's been really challenging. It's almost like embarking on another album to get the live setup fully operational and working. It's certainly exciting for us playing new songs and using new equipment that we're still trying to learn how to control. I can't answer the question regarding how it translates, but I can say that we try to create an environment where mistakes and errors are welcome. We like it when there is a difference between the live songs and the recordings. I think from my experience in seeing bands with a similar hope, a live version can get you excited to listen to the recorded version again. Certain instruments or sounds can come across more clearly or louder live, making some portions of the arrangements more clear to listeners.

FR: Does Liars have a favorite place to play?

AH: Anyway we're invited. We're super excited to play for people. It's always exciting to see a new city on our tour routes. We're lucky to get to travel around the world with music. It's so exciting when that new city pops up in the tour book, for example- Milwaukee! We'd never played Wisconsin before and it was so amazing to be in a city brand new to us, and to play a city we haven't played before.

FR: Music now is available in a variety of formats. You have digital downloads, CDs, vinyl of course, and even cassette tapes are making a modest comeback. What is your favorite listening format for music and on which do you think Liars sounds best?

AH: I like vinyl the best. But I haven't had the chance in a long while to listen to records. I really like the radio in the my car. The best thing about having to drive everywhere in L.A. is I get to sing as loud as I want to whatever cheesy music I want to sing along to. It makes the time pass in traffic, and it is so great to be able to respond to the music in any way I want and it's still somewhat of a private interaction with the music.

FR: So the music scene has really gone sideways in the past ten years from Napster to iTunes to Spotify. The way people listen to music has changed and we touched on that a bit already. But where do you see the music scene going in the next ten years?

AH: If I had to wager, I'd say YouTube will be taking over a lot of the computer music playing. I think there will be more video content to go along with the album. It's overwhelming to me. I like to keep my music listening a bit more simple... old-fashioned I guess. I still don't like making playlists too much and choose to listen to the artists by playing the full album.

FR: What are your thoughts on Lana Del Rey?

AH: I just brought her up to Angus. I like the single, is it called "Blue Jeans"? Beyond that, I don't know too much about her. I'm excited to hear what kind of album she'll do next. It seems like she just... ooooooooooh thanks a lot for your time!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Ramona Falls on tour promoting their January
release of their sophomore album visited the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City
this weekend. Ramona Falls started as a side project for Brent Knopf of
Menomena, and has built a solid reputation with 09’s “Intuit” and this year’s
“Prophet” both of which are worth picking up.

The band grabbed the near sold out crowd’s
attention right from the start with a giant backdrop spanning the stage
flashing visuals to compliment the music throughout the entire show. These
short movies were nothing like the artists’ performances for the evening.
Talented multi-instrumental musicians are fun to watch, but on small stage of a
bar, the shuffling of instruments makes the talent level go up.

Opening their set with
“Bodies of Water”, the crowd was pumped for Brent’s keyboard melody, but was
taken back by Paul’s incredibly passionate drumming. My gaze moved only from Brent Knopf's artsy keyboard playing to Paul Alcott's inspiring stage presence. By the third song "The Space Between Lightning and Thunder" I finally came up with an appropriate description of Alcott, he resembles the
Simpson’s Sideshow Bob both in appearance and dry humor. Long curly hair bounced all around his head as he
violently beat his drums, or jumping up quickly to belt out backup vocals with
drumsticks raised to the ceiling.

The set list featured
favorites “Clover”, “Russia”, “I Say Fever”, and “Melectric” from their debut
album, but with so many great tracks from their new album, I don’t think anyone
in the crowd was disappointed with the band's mix of songs from both albums. The closing song “Spore” was an incredible rock anthem that left me
excited to see the band live again someday.

Ramona Falls Set List:

Bodies of Water
Archimedes Plutonium
The Space Between Lightning and Thunder
Squorm
Clover
Russia
Brevony
Fingerhold
I Say FeverMelectricProofSpore

Friday, June 22, 2012

The new phase for a band putting out a new album is to get out a teaser video to help start spreading the word. Well Band of Horses did just that with their 'Dumpster World' teaser which you can check out below. The still untitled fourth album from the band is set to be released in September, and it follows 2010's Infinite Arms. The 30 seconds or so we get to hear 'Dumpster World' on the teaser it sounds like a fun new direction for the band.

Band of Horses are set to play Salt Lake City's biggest musical events this summer as they come to town on July 26th to take part in The Twilight Concert Series.

Check out Beirut's newest addition to his artistic ways with the official video for 'The Rip Tide'. Zach Condon has this to say about the song and new video...

"I always felt that 'The Rip Tide' wasn't fully able to project its own ambitions in song form . . . no matter how it was performed or recorded, it felt contained by sound alone. . . I wanted more, as I often do with my music, and this is not a bad thing. Growing to accept a song's limits is part of the process of creating and loving them. Which was why I was so excited to see what Houmam had dug into when he picked 'The Rip Tide' out of all others for a video. The concept fit, and the product brought the song somewhere that I had only been able to describe to myself, now available for others to see and feel it much more as I had in the process of writing it."

Stars are back with some new material as 'The Theory of Relativity' emerges online from their upcoming album The North. The North will be out September 4th via ATO.

I have always been a huge fan of Stars and have felt that their amazing vocal talents have been hugely underrated in the music world. Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell are the perfect combo on vocals and can make any Stars song stand out above the rest.

The North Tracklisting:1. The Theory of Relativity2. Backlines3. The North4. Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It5. Through The Mines6. Do You Want To Die Together?7. Lights Changing Colour8. The Loose Ends Will Make Knots9. A Song Is A Weapon10. Progress11. The 40012. Walls

Thursday, June 21, 2012

While Vampire Weekend, as a group, keep us waiting anxiously for a new LP, the members of the band continue to put out excellent side projects. The latest is a 3-song EP from the groups' bassist, Chris Baio, called Sunburn, which features a Tanlines-like sound: fun, upbeat, island-inspired, electronic pop music. Check out the awesome video below for "Sunburn Modern" and purchase the EP from iTunes by following this link or listen to it over at Soundcloud here.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

With their 6th album in 12 years, My Morning
Jacket should sound familiar by now, yet 2011’s “Circuital” is a breath of
fresh air for the band. Not just a breath of fresh air from 08’s “Evil Urges”, which
many considered too funky for their hippie sound, but of all four of their
latest albums. MMJ gets in touch with their younger selves on their newest LP,
recreating the magic of 99’s “The Tennessee Fire” of alternative country.

“Evil
Urges” still lurks on this record on the band’s most psychedelic track to date
“Holding on to Black Metal”. The track has burning horns, brimstone guitar, and
lyrics mentioning hanging out with Lucifer, proudly adding this song to the
devil’s playlist. On a less experimental note, the simple hum-along hymn of
“Wonderful” will be proudly added to your personal playlist. The reminiscing
reformed rhymes of “Outta My System” remind us of the Beach Boys finally
admitting to illegal drug use months before “Circuital” was released. “The told
me not to smoke drugs, but I wouldn’t listen/ Never thought I’d get caught, and
wind up in prison” are the opening lines to the song of drug-using, car thief
of yesteryear who’s experiences made him the man he is today.

My favorite track
of the album is the opener “Victory Dance”, which has a certain Radioheadesque
to it. A firm low bass whisper marches Jim James’ haunting vocals along through
verses of warbling rhetorical questions. Some rhythmic drumming is added to the
march before the song’s climatic moment comes when the vocals howl over mutated
instrumental of trippy ambient distortion leading right into the album’s 7
minute title track "Circuital".

The title track is classic MMJ, which is often compared to Fleet Foxes by big name music blogs. I can see somewhat of a comparison, but think both bands have their own distinctive sound. Especially My Morning Jacket with the gorgeous falsetto listeners desire for, yet miserably fake whilst singing out loud. Give it a try yourself by picking up the album that made it on most of 2011's best of lists. I have it and I give it 4.4/5 stars.

Purity Ring have lite up the music blogging world and are currently one of the 2012 buzz bands that everyone is touting. Purity Ring are made up of Halifax/Montreal duo Corin Roddick and Megan James, and bring with them a lush dream pop sound.

Their debut album Shrines is set to be released on July 24th via 4AD Records. 'Fineshrine' is the second song from the highly anticipated album, take a listen and be your own judge if Purity Ring deserve the love.

It has been 7 years since Fiona Apple's last album "Extraordinary Machine", 16 years since her debut "Tidal", and the question on everyone's mind is will "Idler Wheel" compare to her earlier work's truthfully songwriting intimacies or will her decade and a half in the music industry take her in a new direction?

The album's cover has an extended title that serves as a theme throughout the entire album "The idler wheel is wiser than the driver of the screw and whipping cords will serve you more than ropes will ever do". Fiona sees herself as a machine in the title of her LP as well as in her lyrics. The first track "Every Single Night" is poetry of how Fiona's environment drives her; with lyrics "My heart's made of parts of all that's around me/ And that's why the devil just can't get around me" listeners are brought vicariously into the raw world of 'Here I am! This is what makes me tick.' In the second track "Daredevil" Apple shares how the gashes of her heartbreak make the flaps for her to fly as an airplane before she screams at her love to just "Look at me". By halfway through the album on the track "Left Alone" you'll yearn for the protagonist during the chorus "How can I ask anyone to love me/ When all I do is beg to be left alone", and finally come to resolution that this album isn't exactly uplifting, but is still overflowing with life.

Apple's vocals and piano are sparsly accompanied by percussion on the record, but on "Periphery" it sounds like she is daydreamingly shuffling her feet across the studio. You feel as though she's asking you to join in if you'll stay awhile. The song will end, and you'll still be shuffling your socks loudly over your carpet. The last track "Hot Knife" is my favorite off the album. Reinventing the loop pedal while wrapping up "The Idler Wheel" in a feisty and memorable way comparing two lovers to a hot knife and butter. "Hot Knife" finally leaves potential for growth after 9 tracks of 'moving on'.

"Idler Wheel" makes me feel like I've opened up a clock and gazed in wonder upon the intricate pieces working in harmony to keep the absolute of time. After 42 minutes, I notice that there is not a single excess piece, and the machine would cease to function without all 10 tracks ticking together. From the passive gears of "Valentine" and "Regret" to the energy of "Every Single Night" and "Werewolf", Fiona Apple has reinvented herself as an artist while still maintaining the same sound we all love her for. Watch her artistic video for "Every Single Night" below and buy The Idler Wheel out on Epic Records.
4.5/5

Fake Plastic Tune's is proud to bring you a quarterly print featuring articles, images, reviews, interviews and anything/everything else music related. The quarterly prints are available to view FREE below. Keep your eyes peeled around town for physical copies. You will also notice a new section on our site that will feature the collection as they come out quarterly. Thank you for your support.

Radiohead was set to perform in Toronto on June 16th but tragedy hit and left drum technician Scott Johnson dead as the stage collapsed. As a tribute to Radiohead and Johnson, The Flaming Lips were playing Toronto on the same evening and honored them with a cover of 'Knives Out'.

'The Shakedown' is Yellow Ostrich's second video from their sophomore release Strange Land. The video offers up a super cool neon, glow in the dark performance, so go ahead and turn off the lights and turn up the volume.

Wild Nothing are back with a new song titled 'Shadow' which will be out as a limited edition 7" on June 26th via Captured Tracks. The single is taken from the new album Nocturne which will be released on August 28th. There is a sense that the new album will be more grown up then what Wild Nothing did with Gemini.

Gemini was written before there were Wild Nothing fans or even a live band; Nocturne is different. With an unexpected fan base to turn to, Jack spent more time perfecting his craft. The obsessiveness of Nocturne is inherent in it’s gentle harmonies, orchestrated synths, wandering voice, and songs that speak of his post-Gemini experiences as he explores new paradoxes of pop.

Here is the first video '5 Seconds' from Twin Shadow's new album Confess which is due out July 10th. Check out what George Lewis Jr (aka Twin Shadow) had to say about the video...
"Well my mom is gonna be super bummed out, but yes that's me surfing my motorcycle in the video for '5 Seconds' ... and yes I'm also on the wrong side of the road. I figured if I was ever going to get away with being on a jackass on a motorcycle it would be for my own music video. The video for '5 Seconds' is one part of a series of videos based on a novel written by myself and a good friend Eric Green called 'Night Of The Silver Sun.'"

If there is one band that I have came across this past year that I would want everyone to hear it is French Films. Their music is about the most refreshing thing I have heard from any new up and coming bands and is delivered with a feel good, sunny surf melody mixed in with a little grit and edge. The bands debut album Imaginary Future was released last year and was high on my list of favorites in 2011.

With the new song 'When People Like You Filled Heavens', the band only continues to gain favor in my eyes. This is a band that have fallen under the radar here in North America and there are only big things in store for the young Finnish band. Time to get on board folks!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Dabbling in genres from noise rock to dance punk
over the course of their six album career, Liars have managed to somehow subvert 21st century musical elitism through a sheer commitment to manic expression. This
form of constant reinvention may seem gimmicky or contrived at first glance-
and, truthfully, Liars has spent the majority of their career tapdancing on the
edge of novelty. But more often than not,
the band has imbued these eclectic moments with authentic sensibilities lending
their diverse catalogue a sincere, organic feel. Even at it’s most avant-garde, the
experimentation rarely seems aimless.
When Liars feels like they have something to say, the diversity
facilitates the expression- some would even call this “evolving”.

WIXIW is everything you would expect from an electro-rock
Liars album. Intimate, confounding,
hollow, seductive- upon first listen, WIXIW is unapologetically frustrating. No one has ever accused the trio of meeting
their listeners halfway. And with the
exception of the powerful “No. 1 Against the Rush” and dancefloor ready
“Brats”, Liars is continuing that trend here.
Just take a listen to the album’s namesake, “WIXIW”, a dizzying foray
into synthetic chaos, as well as the equally unnerving “Octagon”. The beats and rhythm avoid catchiness in
favor of hypnotic complexity and discordant sounds, while Angus Andrews’ mystifying
vocals often disregard traditional structure altogether. However, perplexing sonic exercises aside, it
can’t be denied how rich of an experience WIXIX ultimately is for those patient
enough to remain with it. This is indeed
not Liars operating at their most accessible, but WIXIW undoubtedly stands as
both the band’s most rewarding and cerebral work. Navigating the sonic textures of WIXIW is
never easy, but once you learn the path- it’s a journey that deserves
repeating. And that may be Liars’
greatest asset as artists- spinning initial confusion into quality.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Here is the first video for 'Take A Walk' from Passion Pit's new album Gossamer. Ever since the bands 2009 release of Manners, they have been riding on a high and now with their sophomore album Gossamer set to release July 24th, the band are set to take the indie/pop music world by storm once again.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Here is the official video for Mystery Jets newest single 'Greatest Hits', which is taken from their fourth album Radlands. The band are currently on tour with Keane here in North America, and come to Salt Lake City, UT on June 26th at Gallivan Plaza.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Fresh and Only's much anticipated fourth full length LP Long Slow Dance to be released September 4th. With their first single "Yes or No" it looks like the band is back with a new sound that won't disappoint. Enjoy the new track below.

Here's Passion Pit's second track from their sophomore LP, Gossamer, to be released in late July. The song, courtesy of NME, is a great return-to-form for Michael Angelakos and crew, with very funky samples, and an uplifting tone and beat structure. Gossamer is one of the most highly anticipated indie pop albums for the summer, and with the two tracks released so far, it seems unlikely to disappoint.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Radiohead played Chicago on June 10th at Tinley Park and performed new song "Full Stop" for the first time ever. This is the 3rd new song that Radiohead have debuted on their 2012 tour so far (Identikit, Cut A Hole, and now Full Stop). The one thing you can always count on from a Radiohead show is that their crazy/obsessed fans will get footage online ASAP, and that is what has happened with "Full Stop". Check out the two different cuts of the song from two different fans below.

"Full Stop" comes with a lot energy and is a great new addition to the Radiohead catalog. Also keep your eyes open for some sort of a collaboration with Jack White in the near future as they were seen together at Bonnaroo.

Radiohead took the stage at Bonnnaroo on Friday, June 8th, for nearly a two and a half hour show. At 25 songs long this was Radiohead's longest show to date, you can check out the whole setlist and concert below.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Grizzly Bear are back this year with a new album (Yet to be titled) on September 18th, which marks the first album from the band since 2009. We get our first taste of how the album will sound with the opening track 'Sleeping Ute', which does not disappoint in its polished indie form. Check out the albums tracklisting below along with the YouTube stream of 'Sleeping Ute'.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Innovation has always been one of Battles’ strong suits. While 2007’s Mirrored showcased their propensity for skillfully blending noise and melody, last year’s Gloss Dropproved that the band was still able to muster the best of their creative forces after the departure of vocalist/guitarist Tyondai Braxton in 2010. With such a long wait in between their first two full lengths, it came as a nice surprise to learn that the band was releasing a remix album, Dross Glop (a clever spoonerism of the original album's title). Further adding to my delight was the fact that artists including Shabazz Palaces, Gang Gang Dance, and Hudson Mohawke would be lending their talents to the mix.

Despite the hype and expectations of a creative tour de force, however, Dross Glop falls disappointingly short of its potential. The pacing is odd, the songs don’t flow well together, and even the more alluring tracks begin to drone on without much variety to keep the listener’s attention. Don’t get me wrong – there are moments of beauty here, such as Qluster’s seductive re-imagination of the synth and percussion on “Dominican Fade,” and the chilling urgency of Gui Boratti’s “Wall Street” once it finally picks up. For the most part, though, the album zig-zags through disjointed alleys of sound, like your 80 year-old grandmother trying to ride a Harley-Davidson for the first time. And we all know how that turns out.

For a remix album, there’s a lot of space, both sonically and metaphorically. The Alchemist’s version of “Futura” sounds like it could have easily been featured on a sci-fi movie soundtrack and Patrick Mahoney and Dennis McNany’s remix of “My Machines”feels like the perfect music for a futuristic alien dance party. But on the whole, where Gloss Drop shimmered, its successor sounds lackluster. Instead of an elegant re-construction, the songs on Dross Glop come across more like an unnecessary renovation, as they attempt to repair and paint over areas where the original never needed a fix-up in the first place. Long story short, there’s really not much value added and it’s probably not worth the asking price. Although the idea and the effort behind this record are praise worthy, Dross Glop’s shortcomings serve as a testament to the oldest cliché in the book: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

'Glockenspiel Song' is the new single from Dog Is Dead, and will be released July 22nd. Dog Is Dead continues to impress me with their upbeat and clever sounds, and remain as one of my must hear new bands of 2012. They will be releasing their debut album All Our Favourite Stories later in the fall, but in the meantime you can pick up a free copy of their Talent Show EP over on their site.

Here are the details on the new album from the band...
"We are very proud to announce that 'All Our Favourite Stories' will be the title of our debut album! The name comes from the lyrics of 'Two Devils'. We feel it sums up a lot of ideas behind the album. It's been a long time coming and we're incredibly excited for you all to hear it. Thanks everyone for being patient while we have been in the studio recording the album."

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

2:54 has already started to buzz before their album even dropped touring with Warpaint and the xx, the later of which is currently the only band who can match the phenomenal harmonies of 2:54's sister duo Collette and Hannah Thurlow. This 10 track self-titled album on Fat Possum Records is brining back the early 90s vibe with punk and metal influences to form goth-pop that intimately cloaks your mind, and lurks about in the corners bringing you back for listen after listen.

The sultry harmonies of 2:54 command your attention from the get-go, the rhythm side is what you'll feel in your spine. It's full of upper lip-curling bassline from Joel Porter, and Alex Robin's judgement day drumming. There's always use of negative space and the complementary pop riff to the rhythm on every track. This album is best listened to from start to finish with the concluding track "Creeping" leaving you wanting nothing more (except maybe have another listen).

Adopting a specific track for your name shows the world the biggest influence for your work (Think Fake Plastic Tunes), but choosing a specific time in a specific track for your name defines your sound permanently. The name 2:54 comes from the Melvin's track "A History of Bad Men" right at the 2:54 moment of the track the percussion hits full swing as the bassline falters slightly into a slurry climax of the song. I found my two fifty four moment at 3:21 of track 7 "Circuitry".

Tracks like "Sugar" and "Scarlet" have the ghostly snarl female vocals you'll never tire of as you press your headphones tighter against your head. "You're Early" has a rolling buildup moving the sound right into "Easy Uncover" where the guitar talent really stands out as the Thurlow's echo "If you go, you'll never know" right into the end of the track.

Check out "You're Early" the single for 2:54 for your first taste of the band about to have a breakout year. I'm giving this album a solid 4.4/5 stars.

Sigur Rós are back back with a new video for 'Varúð' which is taken from their newest album Valtari. The track is getting getting some visual attention as part of the bands 'Mystery Film Experiment' series. The series shows off 12 different directors talents in them choosing how they want to portray each of the songs from Valtari. This particular video was directed by Inga Birgisdóttir, and begs you to sit back and forget about the outside world.

I stumbled upon this local band out of Salt Lake City just after their set started opening for Hospitality and Here We Go Magic last month at the Urban Lounge. L'anarchiste is the musical work of Rob LeCheminant, and some members adding their own spin on the collaboration. After chatting briefly with Rob after the show, he told FPT of L'anarchiste's plan for a full length album out later this summer, and of some more gigs they've booked, including opening for Ramona Falls later this month.

The five song EP is really great if you're looking for some chillax tunes to play in your living room while tackle a todo list. Tracks like "Iron" and "Stony" are long and take a few minutes to build, which I'm a huge fan of when artists do this. "Iron" especially hooked me with the melancholy backup vocals singing "oohs", and the mild use of taps from the drums really completes this song. Two of the shorter tracks I really like are "Sleep" and especially "Lights" which is the most upbeat of their tracks. Think Bon Iver tempo with lots more gear onstage. L'anarchiste is starting to make a splash among Salt Lake's artsy folk and rightfully so. Here's their self-titled EP available for free download http://lanarchiste.bandcamp.com/

We all wanted to know when Muse would hit back with a new album and we now have our answer. The band posted a trailer for the new album on YouTube with the title "The 2nd Law" and release date of September 2012. You can also check out the bands official website and they have a countdown clock which counts down to September 17th.

The 2nd Law will be Muse's 6th studio album and by the first listen on the 2 minute trailer you get a sense that they are really going to mix things up and take this album in an entirely new direction. Bassist Chris Wolstenhome previously mentioned that the band wanted to do "something radically different" on their new album.